Mon, May 13, 2024
The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) yesterday said it plans to launch six low Earth orbit satellites starting in 2026 as part of the government’s plan to boost the resilience of the nation’s communications.The development of the technology gained attention after Ukrainians were able to access the Interne
China is continuing to use “gray zone” tactics to cause social division in Taiwan and alter the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) found. The council said the academic report it commissioned to analyze the state of Taiwan-China-US relations
Taiwan claimed the No. 1 spot among exhibiting nations and took home the most awards at the 38th World Genius Convention and Education Expo in Tokyo.Of the 63 entries Taiwan submitted, 29 won gold medals, 23 won silver medals and six were given special awards.This year’s expo, held on Thursday and F
TWO TOP CONTENDERS: Prime Minister Simonyte’s ruling conservatives and President Nauseda have clashed over relations with Beijing, which have been strained over Taiwan Lithuania voted yesterday in a presidential election dominated by security concerns with the main candidates all agreeing that the NATO and EU member should boost defense spending to counter the perceived threat from neighboring Russia. The Baltic state of 2.8 million people fears it could be next i
Israeli forces were yesterday battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.Israel has portrayed the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Hamas’ last
PLAN: Nations would receive US$5m a year if they could advance Taiwan’s international participation, diversify supply chains away from China or counter Beijing’s influence The US House of Representatives Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Friday introduced a bill that would approve US$120 million to be spent on supporting Taiwan’s international space and tackling coercion by China.The bipartisan legislatio
EUROPE TRIP: Beijing hopes being friendly toward France will help China-EU relations, although Xi’s visit would not affect the EU’s derisking policies as a whole, the report said The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is attempting to sow division among EU states and sour EU-US relations, with the added aim of impeding the EU’s support for Taiwan, a National Security Bureau report says.The report discusses Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to Europe from Sunday last week
Campus bullying and self-harm are the two primary issues of concern for the incoming Ministry of Education, requiring more counseling staff and division of labor to help students, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said on Monday.Pan was presenting to the legislature’s Education and Culture C
DIFFICULTIES: Some hospitals in central and southern Taiwan still have a long way to go, and staffing continues to be a key issue due to salaries, a hospital official said One-third of hospitals have reached the target nurse-to-patient ratio that was implemented on March 1, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) preliminary estimates showed.In response to nurses’ demands for more reasonable workloads and salaries and to solve nurse shortages, the ministry set new nurse
Taiwan would continue to be under the influence of a geomagnetic storm this morning, potentially causing errors with GPS and disrupting the transmission of high-frequency radio waves, Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.The storm began on Friday affecting communications worldwide, fo
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night.The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chan
RECOGNITION: The nun received the certificates for her leadership in charity work, dedication to education as well as her environmental efforts Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation founder Cheng Yen (證嚴) received honorary doctoral degrees in philosophy and medicine from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) yesterday for her distinguished leadership in global charity work and dedication to education and environmental cons
NEW BEGINNING: Chinese Nationalist Party caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen said Lai should attempt to facilitate dialogue between Beijing and Taipei Governing and opposition lawmakers yesterday expressed hope that president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration address would make a breakthrough in cross-strait relations.The nation’s 16th presidential inauguration is to be held on Monday next week, and it has been reported that the main content
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus members yesterday said they do not plan to attend president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on Monday next week, citing a preoccupation with official work duty.KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that the event falls on a Monday, a work
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto Director-General Chen Jin-ling (陳錦玲) called on Canada to support Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO, as it would be in line with the country’s interests.By advocating for Taiwan’s integration into global health governance, “Canada can enhance global health s
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) would review and revise troop bonuses in a bid to improve recruitment and retention of military personnel, the Executive Yuan said. Troop numbers are at their lowest since 2008, with many combat units only 80 percent staffed, governmental figures showed.More th
‘FULL SUPPORT’: Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura said he hopes more companies would settle in the prefecture to create an area similar to Taiwan’s Hsinchu Science Park The newly elected governor of Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture said he is ready to ensure wide-ranging support to woo Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to build its third Japanese chip factory there.Concerns of groundwater shortages when TSMC’s two plants begin operations in the prefectur
Apple Inc has closed in on an agreement with OpenAI to use the start-up’s technology on the iPhone, part of a broader push to bring artificial intelligence (AI) features to its devices, people familiar with the matter said.The two sides have been finalizing terms for a pact to use ChatGPT features i
KEY TECHNOLOGY: South Korea’s semiconductor exports reached US$11.7 billion in March, and the chip sector accounts for one-fifth of the nation’s total exports South Korea would set up an aid package worth more than US$7 billion to support its chip industry, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance said yesterday.This initiative follows its pledge last year to build the world’s largest chip center using US$240 billion of private investment, primari
The Cabinet on Thursday approved several bills on fraud, including a proposed fraud prevention act and amendments, that would raise the penalty for convicted scammers, hold online platforms more accountable for fraudulent content and increase police surveillance powers.The fraud prevention bill prop
The people of Taiwan recently received confirmation of the strength of American support for their security. Of four foreign aid bills that Congress passed and President Biden signed in April, the bill legislating additional support for Taiwan garnered the most votes. Three hundred eighty-five member
Following China’s rapid rise in the past few years, its People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has already changed the face of the first island chain.On April 17, the Australian Department of Defence published two key documents: the 2024 National Defence Strategy and the 2024 Integrated Investment Pro
NO NONSENSE: Josko Gvardiol could have been the first defender in English Premier League history to score a hat-trick, but he passed the chance by not taking a penalty Manchester City on Saturday closed in on a fourth consecutive English Premier League title by thrashing Fulham 4-0, while Burnley were relegated from the top flight after a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.Luton Town are also virtually down. A 3-1 defeat at West Ham United left them three points adri
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on Saturday combined to score 61 points to fire the Boston Celtics to a bounce-back NBA playoff win over Cleveland Cavaliers as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks over the Oklahoma City Thunder.Tatum scored 33 points and Brown 28 as top seeds Boston,
Yokohama F. Marinos manager Harry Kewell remains wary of the threat posed by Hernan Crespo’s Al-Ain side despite guiding his Marinos to a 2-1 first leg lead on home soil in the final of the AFC Champions League on Saturday.Marinos fought back from going behind to Mohammed Abbas’ 12th-minute strike t
Rafael Nadal on Saturday said that he is leaning toward playing at the French Open despite his second-round elimination in Rome, as Novak Djokovic laughed off being hit by a bottle which briefly cast doubt on his continued participation.Clay-court icon Nadal had previously said that he would only pl
FREEDOM AT RISK: The bill would require almost all NGOs to register as acting under ‘foreign influence’ and would steer the country away from joining the EU Tens of thousands of Georgians on Saturday descended onto Tbilisi’s Europe Square in the latest mass protest against a “foreign influence” bill likened to repressive Russian legislation that has sparked outrage.The Caucasus country has been gripped by protests since early last month, when in a shock
GANG VIOLENCE: The call came after men raided the community of Gressier, forcing residents to join more than 360,000 other Haitians who have had to flee their homes A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti’s police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early on Saturday.Armed men raided the coastal community of Gr
Thousands of people been evacuated from border areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, as Russia kept up constant strikes on a key town as part of a cross-border offensive, officials said yesterday.The surprise Russian attack across Ukraine’s northeastern border began on Friday, with Moscow’s troops maki
On Facebook a friend posted a dashcam video of a vehicle driving through the ash-colored wasteland of what was once Taroko Gorge. A crane appears in the video, and suddenly it becomes clear: the video is in color, not black and white. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake’s destruction on April 3 around and
May 13 to May 19While Taiwanese were eligible to take the Qing Dynasty imperial exams starting from 1686, it took more than a century for a locally-registered scholar to pass the highest levels and become a jinshi (進士). In 1823, Hsinchu City resident Cheng Yung-hsi (鄭用錫) traveled to Beijing and acco
1839 Contemporary Art Gallery (1839當代藝廊) is an easy art space to miss. Located down a side-street in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) the gallery doesn’t exactly scream “come in.” But the discreet facade and somewhat pedestrian setting of 1839 deflects those who are not seeking out the Aladdin’s Cave of
Food shortages have been experienced by people across the world throughout the centuries, but these challenges have driven people to cope, like the Taiwanese, who have found creative culinary uses for all parts of their animals, including blood. Pig’s blood cake, or rice blood cake, consists of stic
Narges Mohammadi, the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, was born in Iran in 1972. For the past 45 years, the country has been governed by an authoritarian regime. As a consequence of her activism, Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times, convicted five times and sentenced to 31 years in jail and
Japan has long been a popular tourist destination for people worldwide. Travelers love to experience the country’s unique culture, stunning sites, and delicious cuisine. Springtime is a particularly popular period to visit. Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are in full bloom, and tourists and locals alike
It’s certainly been a pleasure watching the presidential campaign launch of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) lurch painfully about like a wounded pachyderm in search of an elephant graveyard. Hou’s fall to third place in some polls last week appears early, and it might still be recoverable. But grumbling in his party about replacing him has already begun. Indeed, all indications are that the party that twice gave us Lien Chan (連戰), the most despised politician in Taiwan, as a presidential candidate and later offered voters Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), is arcing along its normal descending trajectory, the North Korean missile test of electoral politics. A KIND OF POLICY PLATFORM Last week the KMT doubled down on this path with Hou’s calls for nuclear power and more death penalty executions, standard KMT fare for decades (the latter is unnecessary since so many potential criminals are likely to die in traffic accidents long before they harm anyone). Apparently KMT policy institutions are not echo chambers so much as mausoleums where dead ideas are embalmed and then periodically put on display. The lack of public policy imagination is obvious. A less obvious facet of KMT ineptitude: with years of speculation that Hou would be their man in 2024, neither Hou nor the party insisted on interesting or experimental public policies to showcase Hou’s greatness in preparation for the showdown. Of course, that is even more true of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hou’s slide and the media buzz surrounding it are obscuring the truly urgent problem the pro-Taiwan side faces: DPP presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) has not expanded his voter support beyond the party base. In most polls he remains below 40 percent. Independent voters are staying away in droves, and for the moment the young are turning to
July 17 to July 23 When Yeh Ken-chuang (葉根壯) came of age, the traditional skills of architecture and carpentry that had been in his family for four generations were disappearing. After helping his uncle Yeh Teh-ling (葉得令) construct ships, residences and temples for more than a decade, Yeh struck out on his own at the age of 28 in 1960 as a damusi (大木司, chief carpenter), earning his lifelong title “Chief Chuang” (壯司). Around this time, builders in his homeland of Penghu were increasingly using reinforced concrete instead of wood, due to the humid climate. The period also saw a frenzy in temple construction as the economy improved, meaning there was plenty of work for Yeh. Adept in non-structural techniques such as doors, windows and furniture, as well as the intricate carvings and detailed decorations that adorned the structures, Yeh was able to adapt his skills, leading the reconstruction of the historic Hsiliao Daitian Temple (西寮代天宮) on Penghu’s main island in 1963. According to the book Crossing Traditions in Yeh Ken-chuang’s Large-scale Carpentry Skills (宮廟巧藝 :跨越傳統的葉根壯大木作技術), it was Penghu’s first temple that used a purely reinforced concrete structure. Before his life was cut short, Yeh created more than 70 temples and related structures across the various islands of Penghu and left behind more than 230 building plans. Although Yeh could have built temples and other structures on Taiwan proper, he only worked on a handful of projects outside of Penghu because he wanted to be close to his family. CLAN OF CARPENTERS The Yeh family’s woodworking tradition began with Yeh Ma-li (葉媽利), who learned the architecture and carpentry trade from an unknown master on Kinmen. The Yehs trace their roots to Kinmen, although this branch had been living in Penghu since the early 1600s. Yeh Ma-li was Penghu’s chief temple builder between 1860 and
New Taipei City | 14-23 | 10% | |
Hsinchu County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hsinchu City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Taipei City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Miaoli County | 12-22 | 10% | |
Taoyuan City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Keelung City | 15-21 | 10% |
Yunlin County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Taichung City | 14-24 | 0% | |
Nantou County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Changhua County | 14-23 | 0% |
Chiayi County | 13-24 | 0% | |
Chiayi City | 14-25 | 0% | |
Tainan City | 15-22 | 0% | |
Kaohsiung City | 17-23 | 0% | |
Pingtung County | 16-25 | 0% |
Yilan County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hualien County | 16-22 | 10% | |
Taitung County | 17-23 | 10% |
Kinmen County | 11-18 | 0% | |
Penghu County | 17-20 | 0% | |
Lienchiang County | 10-13 | 10% |